Maine Maritime Academy Opts for EV

November 28th, 2005

12 ZX1i units were installed in the union dining area, balancing stylish appearance with a level of sonic performance that belies their size and weight. Jay White of systems integrators Advance Technology explained how the installation ended decades of unintelligible sound in the space:

“The school needed a system for voice reinforcement and low to mid-level music in their student union dining hall. This was one of the most challenging spaces we’d worked on in a while, with lots of glass, hardwood floors, and very little absorptive material. When you combine these harsh, reflective surfaces with 250 students chatting, rattling silverware and glasses, the ambient noise floor becomes very high. From day one we didn’t feel a point source approach would be up to the challenge in terms of gain before feedback, and we started considering compact, high performance loudspeakers for a distributed system. EV launched the ZX1i right before we started spec’ing this installation, so we took a closer look.

“We were particularly interested in the “T’ transformer version of ZX1i, which has numerous features that enable greater vocal frequency intelligibility,“ White explained. “The low-frequency saturation control (Automatic Saturation Compensation) allows multiple speakers to be run on a distributed line with a 50Hz Hi-Pass filter before the amplifier. This means, as long as the wattage required doesn’t exceed the amp rating, 12 speakers on transformers can have equivalent sonic performance to a single speaker at 8 ohms. We felt this would precisely address the vocal intelligibility problems characteristic in a room like this.

“Robert Deyarmond of EV tech support put together an EASE model for us that confirmed the ZX1i as the right speaker for the job, which I used as part of my presentation,“ White continued. “We didn’t want to settle for a system that would be only marginally better than the old system, and having a visual model that communicated the ZX1i’s dispersion characteristics in jargon-free terms really sealed the deal. Working closely with EV allowed us to thoroughly investigate the options as contractors, and to provide a high level of attention to detail for customer before any paperwork was signed.

“Aside from Automatic Saturation Compensation, ZX1i has a long list of features that made it work in this application,“ White added. “ Its molded enclosure is lightweight, tough, looks good and is designed for optimum acoustic performance and low frequency response. Plus it’s available in white! The QuickSAM mounting hardware makes ZX1i easy to install, and, since we were limited to a beam running the circumference of the room, that was an important factor. A rotatable horn also enables pattern control wherever they’re mounted. Performance aside, the architect was concerned that the boxes would interfere with the design of the space. Not only do the boxes have a low profile visually, they are non-invasive in terms of mounting hardware and cabling. There are no surface-mounted wires anywhere to be seen. ZX1i has it covered from both an architectural and acoustical perspective, and the Academy is very happy with the results.“

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Electro-Voice (EV), is a professional audio brand of Telex Communications, Inc., a leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of sophisticated audio, wireless, multimedia, aircraft, broadcast and communications equipment for commercial, professional and industrial customers. Telex Communications markets its products in more than 80 countries under the brands EV, Telex, RTS, Dynacord, Midas, Klark Teknik and others.